MassBike Executive Director David Watson has been appointed to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's new statewide advisory committee. The Transportation Advisory Committee, which meets for the first time later this month, will advise the MassDOT board and leadership. MassBike will have a direct say in the full range of transportation issues facing the state. The committee represents a wide range of interests and MassDOT gets credit for including advocates for sustainable transportation in keeping with the Healthy Transportation Compact and the GreenDOT Initiative.

UPDATE: We just received the charter for the committee, which provides more insight into what the committee will be doing:

Transportation Advisory Committee Charter

The Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) is an independent body appointed by the Secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Its purpose is to serve as public forum to discuss issues related to the implementation of the Commonwealth’s transportation reform legislation enacted in 2009, and to verify and observe MassDOT progress on reform.

The TAC will serve as a resource to the MassDOT Board of Directors and the MassDOT itself by providing input and feedback on DOT initiatives. They will offer advice to MassDOT leaders, provide feedback on how MassDOT policies are being implemented, and serve as independent validators on the progress, success, and shortcomings of transportation reform.

While the exact framework of their meetings and organization is left to the TAC, MassDOT expects that they will meet at least quarterly, and will work through subcommittees to study various topics related to transportation reform. Its members, chaired by Alan Macdonald, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, are leaders and experts in the transportation field, representing all modes and regions of the Commonwealth.

Here's another wonderful story from our And I Ride campaign! We are seeking to put a face on cycling in support of a legislative campaign that we are working on this year. You can read the rest of these great bicyclist bios here.

We are still accepting entries, so be sure to read below to find out how to send in your story.

Our next story comes from Alyson.

Where I Ride: To work, to after-work meetings, to swim practice, into Concord/Carlisle and other suburbs on longer sojourns, and in thesummer, to Walden Pond and Provincetown.

How Often I Ride: Almost every day, year-round.

My Story:

I started cycling when I moved to Arlington in 2007, riding on 22 degree weekends with the warm company of the Quad Cycles bike shop rides. In 2008, I bought a commuter bike and started riding from Arlington to work in Davis Square on the Minuteman path every day. Since then, I have moved to Cambridge and still bike everywhere I go almost every day. It's simply the fastest* and most enjoyable way to get around Boston (*even with all traffic laws obeyed). Greater Boston has a most welcoming and active cycling community. It has been a joy getting to know people on the road and hearing about advocacy initiatives to improve roads making them more livable for all users. One of my favorite events has been the Boston Tweed Ride.

This summer I will be biking across the country from Virginia to Oregon to benefit affordable housing and build houses with an organization called Bike & Build. I have come to find that cycling is advocacy in and of itself: albeit the most efficient form of transportation, it is the way less-travelled and thereby highly visible. For Bike & Build, it is a sign of the lengths that we will go to effect change. After my cross-country journey, I intend to move to graduate school in urban planning where I can learn more about developing healthier communities through alternative transportation.

Thanks Alyson! If you want to learn more about "Bike & Build" and what they are doing, click Here. You can also follow Alyson on her trip and read more about her Here

We want to hear your story. Tell us about yourself and how bicycling is a part of your life. Just copy and paste the form below into an email, fill it in, and send it to shane@massbike.org.

Name:

Email:

Where You Ride:

How Often You Ride:

Your Profession/Relation/Title (lawyer, nurse, Grandma, son, etc):

A picture of you on your bicycle, or you in your daily life (be sure we can see your face):

Earlier this year, we reported on efforts to ensure that bicyclists are fully included in the reconstruction of the iconic Longfellow Bridge between Boston and Cambridge. See here and here. If you've ridden across the bridge this week, you might have noticed that construction has begun on the "early action" sidewalks that MassDOT promised. (Please be especially careful during the construction, as a lane has been removed at the base of the bridge heading towards Cambridge and all traffic must merge briefly - the beginning of the bike lane will return when the sidewalks are done.)

There has been a great deal of public interest in the Longfellow Bridge project, and proposals made by the advocacy community (including MassBike) to prioritize bicycling, walking, and transit on the bridge have garnered a lot of attention recently. See here and here.

MassDOT heard the concerns of the advocates, and, to its credit, decided in May 2010 to take a step back in the process to more carefully examine the full range of ideas for the bridge. In June 2010, MassDOT convened the Longfellow Bridge Task Force "to ensure stakeholders are given an equal opportunity to comment on the final approach and roadway cross-section of the bridge with particular focus on serving transit, roadway, bicycle and pedestrian needs effectively and safely." More public information is available in the Task Force Google Group. I was invited to be a member of the Task Force and have been actively participating in the process.

Task Force members were invited to take walking tours of the Longfellow Bridge to see first-hand many of the problems to be addressed by the project. I went on one of the tours, and had the opportunity to speak at length with MassDOT officials and other Task Force members about the challenges bicyclists face on the bridge and at the approaches (particularly on the Boston side at Charles Circle). I think the opportunity to stand there and actually observe how bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorists interact on and around the bridge was eye-opening for many people.

One thing was missing from the walking tour - actually experiencing the bridge from the bicyclist perspective. MassDOT Highway Administrator Luisa Paiewonsky recently rode over the bridge to get a feel for it, which was a great idea, but we wanted to make sure MassDOT engineers working on the project experienced first-hand the full range of challenges bicyclists face getting to, from, on, off, and across the Longfellow Bridge. So last week, we met up with MassDOT's Mike O'Dowd, Amy Getchell, and Joe Pavao, along with Glen Berkowitz from LivableStreets Alliance, and gave them the full tour by bike.

After meeting up at the Charles MBTA Station, we first observed the chaos in Charles Circle, as bicyclists, pedestrians, and motorists all jockeyed for position. Then, because we think making the approach to the bridge safer for bicyclists is so important, we rode away from the bridge a few blocks before turning around, so that they could get a real taste of what getting to the bridge is like. Through Charles Circle (showing them how to take the lane to protect against right-turning traffic), across the bridge, into Cambridge, around and back again.

While we do not yet know what design for the bridge and the approaches will emerge from the Task Force, I'm confident that key people at MassDOT now understand exactly what we face every day riding across the Longfellow Bridge (and elsewhere). And that is a small victory in itself!

Our first Summer Century & Family Ride is in the books! Almost 400 riders joined us for a great day of cycling, fun, and food. Even the weather cooperated for once (a rarity for MassBike events)! Thank you to everyone who rode - with your help we raised over $9,200 dollars to support MassBike's advocacy efforts. Many MassBike members participated, and 30 new members joined up on the spot! From racers, to veteran distance riders, to families, to people just out for a leisurely ride, to some on their very first group ride, we had them all! Which is especially great because we represent all of you!

We could not have pulled it off without the dedication of our awesome volunteers. The event was organized by MassBike's Board of Directors, and you saw many of them working hard at Lexington High School and the rest stops in Groton and at Great Brook Farm State Park. We want to particularly recognize Bob Dangel, our Treasurer, who led the entire effort and really made the event happen.

In case you were wondering, here is the breakdown of riders. It was a really good mix at all ability levels:

Total Riders: 397

12 mile: 3422 mile: 6147 mile: 7662 mile: 126100 mile: 100

For a grand total of roughly 22,602 miles ridden! Or from our downtown Boston office almost all the way around the earth! (If you left Boston heading north, you would make it about as far as New York City.)

We hope everyone enjoyed the event! We learned a lot, and will make it even better next time. If you have any comments or suggestions for next year, please let us know at events@massbike.org.

The MassBike Summer Century & Family Ride is THIS SATURDAY, and your opportunity to pre-register and save ends Wednesday, August 11th. Members save $10, and non-members save $5! Registration at the event will be $25 for everyone.

$15 for MassBike members in advance and $20 for non-members in advance (advance sales through Wednesday, August 11). Day-of-event registration is $25 for all. There is no charge for children under 16 accompanied by an adult.

Want to do even more for MassBike? Riders are encouraged to raise additional funds for MassBike’s advocacy and outreach programs through a special $100 VIP registration or by gathering donations using MassBike’s online fundraising system. It’s a quick and easy extra step at the end of the registration process!

If you already setup a fundraising page, now is the time to make a final push! If you want to setup up a fundraising page, click here.

Yesterday, August 9, 2010, around 4pm, a young woman was hit by a car while biking in Brighton. The Boston Police have confirmed that the cyclist has died. MassBike shares the heartbreak of the bicycling community whenever someone is killed or injured while riding a bike. Our sincere condolences go out to the young woman's family.

At about 4:17pm, on Monday, August 9, 2010, officers from Area D-14 (Brighton) responded to a radio call for an accident involving a bicyclist being struck by a motor vehicle in the area of Warren Street and Commonwealth Ave. On arrival, officers located and observed a 24 year-old female victim being attended to and treated by EMS. The female victim, suffering from life threatening injuries, was transported to the Brigham & Women’s Hospital where she later succumbed to injuries and was pronounced. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.

Preliminary reports are vague as to exactly how this tragedy occurred. MassBike will continue to follow the details as they emerge.

We urge everyone to exercise caution when cycling, including following all traffic laws, being very aware of your surroundings, and wearing a helmet.

Here's a great story from our And I Ride campaign! We are seeking to put a face on cycling in support of a legislative campaign that we are working on this year. You can read the rest of these great bicyclist bios here.

We are still accepting entries, so be sure to read below to find out how to send in your story.

Our next story comes from Scott.

Where I Ride: Home in Roslindale to Work in Hyde Park How Often I Ride: 3-4 times a week.

My Story:

In 2004, I founded a small public school dedicated to preparing students to succeed in college and to grow ethically. I spend long days inside the school building, and I love the exercise and the time outside, commuting on my bike. No email and no cell phone for those 40 minutes a day. As an educator and as a father, it’s important to me to leave the planet as good as I found it, and I want to keep my carbon footprint to a minimum.

On hot days, I need to ride slow to keep from sweating inside my suit, and I admit I get some funny looks occasionally from the 15-year-olds I teach. But as long as I can still beat each of them in a footrace, the snickers will remain at a minimum.

Thanks Scott!

We still want to hear your story. Tell us about yourself and how bicycling is a part of your life. Just copy and paste the form below into an email, fill it in, and send it to shane@massbike.org.

Name:

Email:

Where You Ride:

How Often You Ride:

Your Profession/Relation/Title (lawyer, nurse, Grandma, son, etc):

A picture of you on your bicycle, or you in your daily life (be sure we can see your face):

We’ve been working hard developing routes just for this event. All routes will be fully arrowed! Cue sheets and maps for all routes will be available online next week, along with GPS files for the three longer routes.

$15 for MassBike members in advance and $20 for non-members in advance (advance sales through Wednesday, August 11). Day-of-event registration is $25 for all. There is no charge for children under 16 accompanied by an adult.

Want to do even more for MassBike? Riders are encouraged to raise additional funds for MassBike’s advocacy and outreach programs through a special $100 VIP registration or by gathering donations using MassBike’s online fundraising system. It’s a quick and easy extra step at the end of the registration process!

If you already setup a fundraising page, now is the time to make a final push! If you want to setup up a fundraising page, click here.

Here's another great story from our And I Ride campaign! We are seeking to put a face on cycling in support of a legislative campaign that we are working on this year. You can read the rest of these great bicyclist bios here.

We are still accepting entries, so be sure to read below to find out how to send in your story.

Our next story comes from Daniel

Where I Ride: Boston and environs, or wherever else I happen to be.How Often I Ride: except when there's black ice on the roads.

My Story:

Bicycling has been my primary form of transportation for the past 10 years, ever since I first started putting myself through music school at the New England Conservatory while working at Akamai Technologies in Cambridge, and I needed to go back and forth several times each day. I've since put more than 20,000 miles on the Kona I bought for this commute, but I've also built up a fixed-gear Schwinn and acquired a beautiful Burley tandem, which I ride with my wife who is also a singer.

I now do scientific computing at Boston University and ride there from my home in Watertown and also to rehearsals, lessons, and gigs all over the Boston area. I've reluctantly had to drive or bus to out-of-state gigs, but have been planning to toss a bike in the cargo hold of the Chinatown bus for my next gig in NYC or to plan a bike tour out to my next week-long gig in Connecticut or Western MA. You'll occasionally see me on my Memorial Drive commute with my mutt Finnegan running next to me on his retractable leash.

Thanks Daniel!

We want to hear your story. Tell us about yourself and how bicycling is a part of your life. Just copy and paste the form below into an email, fill it in, and send it to shane@massbike.org.

Name:

Email:

Where You Ride:

How Often You Ride:

Your Profession/Relation/Title (lawyer, nurse, Grandma, son, etc):

A picture of you on your bicycle, or you in your daily life (be sure we can see your face):

MassBike is working with a group of MBA students to conduct a survey to measure the perceptions and usage of MassBike membership. This study is being conducted to help improve MassBike's offerings. All of your answers will be confidential and anonymous. This survey shouldn't take more than 10 minutes of your time. We appreciate you taking the time to fill out the survey and thank you for your help.